The Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with a mandate to protect the environment of Palestine

Palestinian territories

The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...

 by acting as a coordinating body for Palestinian environmental organizations located in the West Bank

West Bank

The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

 and Gaza Strip

Gaza Strip

thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...

. PENGON was initiated after the 2000 al-Aqsa Intifada

Al-Aqsa Intifada

The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Oslo War, was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...

 due to heightened demands for Palestinian environmental organizations to defend the Palestinian environment.

PENGON is composed of 21 member organizations with goals covering a wide range of environmental issues such as defending land against misuse, sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...

, water conservation

Water conservation

Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation.- Water conservation :Water conservation can be defined as:...

, rural issues, sustainable development

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...

, protection of cultural heritage

Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

, health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 and sanitation

Sanitation

Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...

, biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 protection, human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 and community participation.

PENGON's General Assembly consists of all of its members. The Coordinating Committee consists of seven members who are elected every two years by the General Assembly.

PENGON is an umbrella organization for Palestinian environmental organizations operating in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. PENGON focuses on protection of the Palestinian environment within the context of Israeli military occupation. Therefore environmental efforts are coordinated with social justice campaigns and also integrate social, economic and cultural rights to effect environmental protection and defense.

PENGON seeks to raise international awareness, build capacity for environmental advocacy

Advocacy

Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...

 and mobilizes communities to engage in sustainable development. PENGON also encourages cooperation with other developing societies.

The Member Organizations of the PENGON network are:

• Al-Ard Society for Environmental Awareness and Protection
• Applied Research Institute--Jerusalem (ARIJ)
• Center for Agricultural Services (TCAS)
• Center for Development in Primary Health Care (CDPHC)- Al Quds University
• Institute of Water Studies, Birzeit University
• Development and Environment Association—Baladna Cultural Center
• Land Research Center (LRC)
• LAW-The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
• The Local Committee for the Protection of the Environment, Nablus
• MA'AN Development Center
• Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)
• Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE)
• Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG)
• Roads and Environmental Safety Center (RESC)
• The Society for Environmental Protection, Jenin
• Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)
• Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC)
• Water and Environment Department-Ramallah Municipality
• Water and Soil Environmental Research Unit (WSERU), Bethlehem University
• Water and Environmental Studies Center (WESC), An-Najah National University
  An-Najah National University
  An-Najah National University is a Palestinian non-governmental public university governed by a board of Trustees. It is located in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The university has over 16,500 students and 300 professors in 19 faculties...
  
  
• Wildlife Palestine Society (WLPS)